Project NBE
by feeltheRUSH
Summary: Rust-riddled and forgotten, a few Beast Warriors struggle to piece together the mysteries surrounding their current predicament. AU, featuring a collision of Movieverse & Beast Wars elements.
1. Chapter 1

_The product of watching the 2007 movie too many times and having too little sleep. Revised way too many times for me to count. Now, finally, I'm putting this out for critique and your own enjoyment. Mix mash of Beast Wars and 2007. I'll put the characters back once I'm done. (:

* * *

_

**Project NBE**_  
_

_-Rebooting systems…-_

_-Standby…-_

_-Standby…-_

_-Primary systems online…-_

Airazor coughed, a choking cloud of dry dust spouting from her mouth. Her joints scraped together through a thick coat of rust. Blearily, her optics switched on, a faded blue. She couldn't see anything. Darkness was pressing on her vision, suffocating her senses. She was in nothing. She _was _nothing! For several chilling moments, she struggled, trying desperately to remember some shred of self. She drew up blanks. Gaps of emptiness. The most immediate questions had no answers. Wheezing, she felt rust and grime clogging her systems.

Her small exhalation triggered movement further in the darkness, beyond her scope of view. Two points of light managed to strain through the blackness- burning embers that seemed to blaze a fiery trail into the blackness. They loomed above her, flashing in her direction within a minute of her awakening. Her attempt to yell was strangled as more dust billowed from between her lips. The optics grew larger, intently searching hers. Her fuel pump spiked in speed, but she kept still. A hunter is provoked when its prey attempted to escape, if she was even capable of escaping. Echoes of cracking joints reverberated around her as the optics got closer and closer. Airazor felt a chill course through her spark. Due to her rusted parts, she remained cemented to the spot, helpless to fight or flee.

"A-" a wheezy hacking interrupted the speaker from forming a single word. Vents that were not hers whirred heavily before speech was tried again. "Air- Airazor?"

Surprise blooming across her faceplate, she squinted through the dark gloom. The glow of her companion's optics spilled onto his face. Sharp, strong features, glinted in the dim light, barely visible to her.

"It's good… to see you…old comrade" Airazor managed, her voice sluggish. His name eluded her, but she sensed he was friendly. She struggled to arrange her lip components into a small smile.

He did not return the smile. "Dinobot," he reminded her gruffly.

He remained stolid, as ever, pulling spider webs from his helm, joints scrapping, irritated, against each other. As more of her systems activated, Airazor's optical sensors were able to pierce the blackness and catalog her surroundings. Four walls. Four gray, cold walls. Quiet statues lining the perimeter. Their silhouettes varied from sleek to bulky. Her vision gradually became sharper still. Colors were more apparent. Dinobot's face was not longer tinted red by his ember optics, but its natural shade of blue. The colors were more subdued than she recalled. Her attention turned to the silent figures. Blue, yellow, red, purple, green, they all had their own personal color schemes. The colors they wore seemed to match their sharpening forms. A figure with streamlined fins bore a steady blue. Another, imperious statue boasted a majestic purple. She saw the spot where Dinobot must've stood. Next to the royal purple statue and to the right of the smallest.

"…Do you… recognize them?" rasped Dinobot, staring tentatively at Airazor's slow scan.

Her vents expelled stale air as she shook her head. "No."

A disappointed grunt.

"Do you?"

"Apparently not," Dinobot said bitingly, his remark slow with the weight of rust in his systems. "Otherwise… I would not have asked."

Leaving the mech stew, Airazor tried rotating her joints. Layer upon layer of rust was caked onto her superstructure. It must've taken years for this much to grow. Painful screeches stemmed from her frozen seams. Dinobot glowered at the break of silence.

"We... will be fine," she said softly, trying to soothe the other. No reply from Dinobot. Airazor couldn't help but add her own question, "Do... y-you... know what... happened to u...sss?"

His sardonic reply came quick, "If I knew, which... I do not… do you believe I would have... withheld the... truth?"

"No," she agreed. A small something stirred in her memory bank. She had done this dance with Dinobot before. It was a comfortable, familiar feeling.

His servos grated together as he pulled back a fist and bashed it into the wall. For all his impressive strength, his iron fist barely left a dent. Frustration ground in his growl as Dinobot turned from the wall again, teeth bared.

"So I guess… we can't get out," Airazor said lightly, failing to maker her own servos move.

Instead of answering, Dinobot fixed her up a malicious glare, before turning his back on her too. Again, déjà vu washed over her, and she had to suppress smile. Despite the box they were in, despite their memory lapse, despite_ everything_, the feeling managed to wipe away all the uncertainties for one blissful moment. Then reality crashed back down.

Carefully phrasing her question so as not to offend Dinobot, she said, "I can't guess why… _we're_ online but these others aren't. Do you think… a power surge hit?"

He glanced over his shoulder, pensively looking at the wall above her shoulder. She waited quietly for his reply. If she pushed, Dinobot's famous temper might explode, and she was naturally a patient creature. "I have… considered… perhaps a current traveled… through these walls…" Dinobot gestured at the only walls visible, "and, assuming we were already... depleted... of energy, instead of overloading us- as it may have if we were online- it charged us."

"Then if it was powerful enough to charge us, why didn't it online the rest of… us?" Airazor said eyes roaming and falling on a snowy white individual. A sparkle tingled in her chest.

"I distinctly recall my musings being _that-_ musings, not facts, Bird-brain."

She fell silent again, a little stung by his remark. Letting the conversation die, she sent an internal request for a diagnostic through her processor. The report returned blank. Prickles of panic nipped at her core. Was she _that_ out of repair?

"Maybe we… cou-"

Dinobot silenced her with a low snarl, optics flashing in warning. Airazor tuned her audios in the direction Dinobot was scanning. One of the statues, one of their kind was stirring. He was the largest, bulkiest. Most likely built for combat. Two gleeful optics burst open, flooding his corner with green light.

"Why hello!" said the optics, smiling down on Airazor. She noticed that the speaker had no pauses to allow for rust. "So glad you awakened. I've been waiting a long, long time for _one_ of you to awaken. And now there are _two_ of you." The tone of the voice darkened. "A pity though, both of you are the least amusing of the batch."

"Who… are the others?" Airazor asked slowly, peering up at him. The feeling of panic intensified. This horribly gleeful being made her edgy.

The optics quirked, the owner's voice coming laced with amusement, "You don't remember?… Huh. Well you'll remember _me_ soon enough." Raucous laughter boomed off unseen walls. The glow of his laughing optics poorly lit his faceplate, but she could make out a sideways mouth and curved side-horns.

Fear reared up inside Airazor's chest, drowning out an rational thought. _Run, flee, HIDE!_ She wrenched her limbs into motion, rust screeching shrilly. Jolting forward Airazor's arms pumped, but her legs were less willing to move. Overbalancing, the femme struggled to remain upright, but crashed in a heap. Sprawled on the floor, she tried to surpress the undeniable fear that curled like acid in her chest. Vents overheating, Airazor cast a horrified gaze upward into those two diabolical green optics.

"Mmhmm, you're terror is quite overwhelming, femme. An absolute delicacy for me, to be sure, _mhmmhm_," the supersoldier purred, moving with relative ease toward her. Airazor could feel her processor speed up along with her breath, flakes of rust exploding from her mouth. Whatever he did, Airazor was sure it would be excruciating to her. Fuel pump pounding away in her chest, her optics shut off.

"Do not attempt anything, _Rampage_," Dinobot hissed.

Airazor peeked open an optic, stunned that Dinobot was so bold. The warrior was creaking noisily as he tottered forward, placing himself partially between Airazor and the supersoldier. Rampage scanned Dinobot, trying to find a hint of fear in Dinobot's expression. Silence stretched between the two, Dinobot glaring and Rampage merely studying.

"So you remember?" Rampage answered finally. He sounded disappointed, probably because his ominousness could no longer be used as a weapon of fear. Airazor noticed he could stand straight without brushing the unseen ceiling. How big was this place?

"Vaguely," Dinobot returned tartly, as though he'd rather not recall the monstrous mech at all. He bent down haltingly, then slowly raised Airazor from the floor. Her joints were still frozen in an awkward position. His own joints grated in loud protest. "I cannot hold you up forever, Airazor."

Willingly, Airazor tried to straighten out her ankle joint so she might be able to stand. It remained stubbornly frozen, rust rendering it stiff. Coughing, she shook her head meekly at Dinobot.

"Rampage," Dinobot barked, dust floating from his mouth. Wordlessly, the larger mech bent, showing off mounted legs of a kind of… crustascean. For a bot so huge, Rampage managed to get his thick fingers around her feet. He tugged harder than necessary to get her joints in position. Airazor suspected he wanted her to yelp in pain, but now that she knew his game, she wasn't going to let him win so easily. Wordlessly, the two mechs righted Airazor, neither acknowledging the other's help.

New questions began to rise from Dinobot's stunt. How had he managed to order Rampage around? The latter was larger and in better repair than the former. What was going on? Airazor watched him anxiously.

"What do… you know of… this?" Dinobot was gesturing around the room, optics searing at Rampage's.

"Not much more than you, I fear," Rampage replied. His taunting demeanor was replaced by sincerity. This was a serious subject. "My memories have been erased, though I still have a general feel for all of… these." Rampage indicated the statues. He pointed to the blue finned one. "He is my favorite. My most amusing playmate." Darkness had again crept into his tone. Dinobot cleared his throat pointedly. Rampage glanced at him then continued, "I propose that whatever we were created for… we failed." His huge shoulders shrugged. "Or we might be the evilest of beings, locked away until a fool releases us."

"Doubtful," Dinobot snorted dust out his nose.

Rampage's eyes danced as he gazed at Dinobot, "Ah yes. You have your… code. I had forgotten _that _little detail. You do not stand for evil. You stand for honor and justice without mercy."

Dinobot held a neutral expression before limping his rusted limbs to one of the shorter statues. The short_est_ actually. Airazor could not explain his the emotions his optics betrayed when the warrior looked at the short statue. It made her own insides ache. Rampage watched the warrior keenly.

"How're you… in such a good state… while we're… rusting our servos off?" Airazor spoke up, diverting Rampage's attention from Dinobot.

Again the giant shrugged, emerald optics glittering, "I'm stronger than you. Mmm, probably smarter as well."

Airazor could almost sense Dinobot grinding his teeth. Sighing, Airazor hoped that they'd find an escape soon. Between Rampage's taunts and Dinobot's temper, she wasn't betting on any good coming out of long-term confinement.

* * *

_Just a teaser to whet your appetite. Speculation and critiques are most _certainly_ welcomed._


	2. Chapter 2

_Behold! An update on my humble fic. Thanks are in order for Starfire201, GhostLord, Donna Noble, The Cat Crusader, Dierdre, and TheMechanaGnome for reviewing. You guys rock. A shout-out to Ouchimoo, who happens to be one of my favorite Transfiction writers. I salute you! And many of you are on par; Sector Seven just **might** be making their debut soon...  
_

_I wanted dearly to skip a head and give you guys s'more backstory, but I figure I might as well make the suspense last, before I introduce some **real** problems for our Beast Warriors. Beast Wars is mine, Beast Wars is mine, Beast Wars is mine, Beast Wars is mine... (sigh) no matter how many times I say it, its not true. They're not mine, I'm on a lease. :P  
_

* * *

**Project NBE**

"Depth Charge," Rampage said suddenly.

Airazor and Dinobot raised their heads, optics flickering warily. Since Rampage and Dinobot's last conflict, the three had lapsed into silence.

Together, they had been putting together any dregs of information they could scrap from their data tracks. Airazor had willing given her sparse memories. Memories of a two-sunned sky, the combination of a red sun and a blue sun painting the sky purple. Dinobot contributed very little, and what he did add was in the context of a history book; Airazor suspected he was keeping his personal memories just that: personal. Rampage danced around the subject, obviously using this meager power over the two other Dinobot to irritate nearly to blows. Yet somehow, they managed to piece together a crude timeline.

Somewhere in the past, they had been assigned aboard a ship. Naturally, that meant the statues were their fellow crewmates, the three just couldn't remember them. Rampage maintained they were abducted and stashed in this prison until their captors decided to come out and play. Dinobot refused to believe it, reasoning that they must've landed here peacefully, making the ship an exploration vessel. Rampage undermined him, saying he came on a warship, intent on conquering the universe, which is exactly why they were imprisoned; their captors obviously saw them as a threat, using a memory that all three bots shared as a key point: cannon fire from the windows of their ship. Airazor, distinctly mistrustful of anything Rampage said, suggested Rampage might've exaggerated a bit. The giant glowered, threatening her gently. Dinobot silenced the two with a fierce glare.

The timeline had a myriad of unimportant details surrounding it. The ship they had traveled on came from Cybertron. Who or what that was, the trio couldn't fathom. Optimus was an important name. Usually the thought of Engeron triggered a thirst deep within their empty tanks. Rampage hypothesized that _that_ must've been the reason for their confinement. With pleasure, he outlined his idea, that Energon was the lifeblood of whoever had imprisoned them, and they were kept here for the natives' safety. Again, Dinobot deflected the idea, but behind his stern front, Airazor could see the subtle hesitation. Rampage had caught it too, leaping on the opportunity with gusto. Dinobot's optics lit up so vehemently that the small space was lit with red.

Until now, they had stood in silence, more or less in the empty spaces between the true statues.

"What?" Dinobot demanded, the venom from their last disagreement apparent in his chilled tone.

"His name…" Rampage trailed off dreamily, his spiteful green optics burning on the finned blue statue. A cruel hunger was at the core of his stare. Airazor felt chilled watching, averting her own optics to Dinobot.

The cantankerous mechanoid had settled into a look of disgust. "You… _did_ know… something… more," he accused, voice still sluggish.

"To what end might I withhold such a delicious detail?" Rampage answered, unwillingly allowing his attention to be attracted elsewhere. "Do you think I _enjoy_ your company? You flatter yourself, Dinobot."

Airazor tuned her audios low. Their squabbles were growing more and more repetitive. She hated it. Being trapped with them. Of all the personalities to be partnered with, she was cursed with a devious sadist and a cold loner. Whatever higher power had awoken her certainly enjoyed tormenting her.

The femme's optics glowed briefly with a wave of understanding. With stiff fingers, Airazor traced her fuel lines through her armor. A small section of her chest piece had been punctured then crudely bent back into place. The length of the tear was larger than her own fingers and right above her main fuel line. Raising her optics, she discovered Rampage staring impassively at her. Audios readjusting, the femmebot found herself in the thick of an uncomfortable silence.

Timidly, Airazor spoke after a moment. "You _do_ enjoy… our… company."

Stone-faced, Rampage seemed privy to her sudden breakthrough. And he didn't like it one bit. "Do tell, Airhead," his tone was carefully modulated. His poisonous green optics narrowed, daring her to continue.

Choosing her words carefully, she forced them past the rust clogging her throat, "You… gave _us_… some of… _your_ Energon… your _fuel._" Her optics wavered away from Rampage's face. Dinobot's visage gave her no more comfort than Rampage's. The warrior looked skeptical, pitying even. It only strengthened Airazor's determination to expose Rampage's deed. "Here…" Airazor said agitatedly, reaching for Rampage's hand. Her joint squealed, resisting, then finally giving in.

Still watching her with cold optics, Rampage allowed the action. Maybe he was starved for contact. Maybe he _wanted_ to recognized. Or maybe he knew if he resisted, he'd only look more suspicious.

His fingers fit the contours of her dented armor perfectly. Airazor's optics dimmed in satisfaction, whipping to meet Dinobot's. He inclined his head, fingering a similar dent on his own chest plate.

"Not quite… the insidious… fiend… you claim to be," Dinobot hissed softly, the heat from his gaze blistering into Rampage's back.

The giant did not flinch away, but his optics narrowed. Turning, Rampage let all his sneering glory seep into his words. "Overlooking a small detail, stupid slag," he retorted irritably, the extra legs attached to his back twitching. Removing his hand from Airazor's grip, Rampage spread his arms wide, allowing his companions a full view of his armor. It was dusty, but unblemished. Airazor's CPU spun for a bit, reeling. How was that possible? He _had_ to given them his fuel. Unless... Airazor's eyes darted around to the figure's around them. It was impossible to tell if they were still alive, trapped in their peaceful hibernation, or if Rampage had drained them dry. Unexplained fear shuddered through her chest, fear for one of these statues in particular.

Rampage gave a purr. Airazor's optics fluttered to his. He gave her a satisfied look, contented with her unseeable fear. How had he known? Airazor told herself she was jumping to outlandish conclusions. Glaring at him, she demanded, "Did... you ki- steal... from any... of them?" Kill was too harsh a word for siphoning off fuel, even though for them, it was a true enough term.

"Don't be shy, my sweet," Rampage tutted, grinning with his optics more than his slit mouth. "I _did_. I committed murder. I killed a few of these." He considered for a moment, a horrible glint in his optics. "But if you are sentimental, you _could_ say they live on through your fuel lines." The supersoldier roared with laughter, enjoying the sorrow and horror on Airazor's faceplate.

Dinobot spoke from his place aside the shortest statue. "Which... did you... _murder_, Rampage?" there was a steely edge beneath his cool tone.

"Why don't you guess?" Rampage asked suggestively, optics lingering on Dinobot's diminutive neighbor.

The warrior's optics hardened, narrowing to glowing embers of hatred. "Do not... play your games... with me, I am every... bolt as a formidable... player as you." A trace of green warmed under Dinobot's usual red optics, than vanished. "Admit to whom you terminated."

Chuckling, Rampage crossed his powerful arms, optics sparkling. "Hmm, yes you are an impressive warrior. Megatron had a peculiar fondness for you as a game piece." Dinobot's eyes narrowed. Airazor was sure Dinobot was just as clueless as to who Megatron was, but Rampage's tone insinuated nasty implications. "A choice reason why I chose you."

Airazor noticed he failed to answer Dinobot's question. But she spotted an inconsistency with his story. "When we... awoke, you made it... seem like you were... unsure of... whom would awaken," she pointed out, lessening the tension in the room.

"Ignorance is the best cover, my dear," he laughed lowly again. "And you two believed me. How deliciously kind of you."

"What is your... impetus... for bringing... us online?" Dinobot said in a deathly quiet voice.

"Perhaps this is my plan," Rampage growled maliciously, optics dancing with some type of twisted glee. "To let you rot while I dissect your every move, every thought, driving you utterly into the void before I watch you dissolve into rust." Rampage's voice had gained its taunting edge again.

"Unlikely… what is your… _true_ reason?" Dinobot replied, unconvinced. He grasped Rampage's arm with steel-clawed digits with a splitting grate of rusty metal. They dug into the giant's plating, metal on metal scraping through the quiet. The two met each other's optics with pronounced dislike.

Rampage seemed to struggle internally for a moment. Then some higher program forced him to answer, the words drawn out of his vocal synthesizer. "Instinct, if you will," he said delicately. "I had to chose carefully. Any of the statues that surrounded me would've wanted to unravel the mystery of our confinement. Yet some would surely be detrimental to re-awaken." Rampage gestured at 'Depth Charge.' "While I would prefer _his _company over yours, Dinobot, I knew you had focus and cunning." Dinobot opened his rust-riddled jaws, but Rampage continued, cutting him off. "Why not Megatron? Well, I doubt you retain your full memory of him. He was too cunning, oh yes, far too devious a mind for my purposes." He paused, waiting for some type of objection from Dinobot, a glimmer flickering in his optics. When neither of his companions stopped him, he spoke again. "And I had to plan for my future. When I escaped, I would need useful friends." The underscore on friends made Airazor uneasy. "A flier and a warrior would be excellent company to keep. And you two were of a more honorable stock than myself. I could trust your intentions, even if I longed to blot out your dim sparks. All of yours!" His optics flashed passionately, wrenching his arm out of Dinobot's grip, addressing the silent statues. "Yet, I restrained myself, in the interest of my future freedom." The giant towered over Dinobot, giving him an absolutely deadly look. But his voice became casual and playful again. "You don't seem to grasp your lives dangling on the threads of a killer's mercy. Threads that are fraying and twisting as we speak."

Airazor glanced away from Rampage and Dinobot, fuel pump pounding stolen fuel through her lines. _Killer?_ Was that what Rampage was? She wasn't sure if she believed him. In this small space, she couldn't believed he had snuffed out sparks. In another life, maybe, but here… he was just like them. Wasn't he?

"Then it... seems your future... balances... on the... whims of two... 'dim sparks,'" Dinobot retorted, dropping his arm to his side. He seemed satisfied to stalemate. For now.

Rampage gave Dinobot a murderous look.

* * *

_And that's where we leave our trio for now. I wanted to solve the mystery of how Dinobot and Airazor fairly quickly- Rampage didn't need one, being a supersoldier 'n' all- and give some depth to Rampage. I hate reading him as a sap who falls for the OC or a hive for angst- that's Dinobot's job ;). _

_I hope most you knew that Rampage is immortal, so honestly, we can't be sure if he donated any of his own fluids to bring Dinobot and Airazor online. But, another mystery arises. ooooh._

_PS to Donna Noble: Dinobot is in his original form, as are all of Beasties featured.  
_

_As always speculation, reviews & all that jazz is **most definitely **welcomed.  
_


End file.
